72 CHAEACTER OF THE MIANIS. 



witnessed their national dance. The women 

 of the tribe came all dressed in their best ; 

 their figures appeared large and thick- set, 

 their complexions extremely dark, probably 

 from constant exposure to the burning sun of 

 Sindh. Indeed few, except the younger ones, 

 had any pretension to good looks; their orna- 

 ments too were even large in proportion to 

 the amplitude of their charms, their nose- 

 rings seemingly threatening to break through 

 the cartilage of that feature. In their national 

 dance both sexes join at marriages and festivals, 

 forming a circle round the musicians, moving 

 in slow time, with clapping of hands and stamp- 

 ing of the feet. The Mianis are generally 

 poor, and dissipation increases their poverty, 

 although they are very industrious, being 

 constantly occupied in the manufacture of mats 

 and baskets, which they weave A^ery tastefully 

 from the reeds and grasses growing on the 

 bank of the Indus. When residing in the 

 large towns on the river, the Mianis occupy a 

 separate quarter, living in Landees, where the 

 men sell spirits and beat tomtoms, and the 

 ladies dance and do their best to decoy passers 



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